The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-07-09
FORGOTTEN DEAD.
Statesmen Buried in the Congress
sional Cemetery.
An Institution Kept Tip by q Church Par
ish--Partinl List of Those Who Thers
Sleep the Eternal siumber.

WASHINGTON, June 90 The Congress
sional Cemetery is likely to be brought
little more into notice by some improve
ments going on in the city. Massachu-
sets avenue is now being paved and made
available for driving in that direction, and
the new bridge to be erected over the Po-
tomac at the end of Pennsylvania avenue,
just beyond the city limits, makes that
avenue more Of thoroughfare than for
merly. So the distinguished dead will not
rest in the absolute silence and almost
neglect from the general public that has
seemed to be tile case in former years. The
Cemetery Association keeps the grounds
in good condition, whether the relatives Of
distinguished dead give them any attention
or not. The cemetery is not in any sense
public or national one as its name would
indicate, bNt is owned and managed by the
parish Of Christ Episcopal Church Of this
city. 1t acquired the title Of Congression-
al Cemetery from the fact that Senators
and Representatives who died while in the
performance of their duties in this city
were buried in this graveyard. The first
who was buried there was Hon. Uriah
Tracy Senator from Connecticut, who died
in April, 1907. He had been a Major-Gen-
eral in the Revolutionary army, and when
he died Congress appropriated money to
place monument over his remains. This
precedent once established was con-
tinued, and from that time until 1851 q
monument or cenotaph was placed In this
burial ground in memory of every Senator
or Representative who died, whether he
was buried there or not. The next distin-
guished burial was that of Edward Darby,
a Representative from New Jersey, who
died July %, 1905 Near by his resting
place is the lot Of the Dear family, who
were friends of Washington. Then there
is tho tomb of Elbridge Gerry, Vice Presi-
dent of the United States, who died on his
way to the Capitol to preside over the
eenate on November 23 1914, aged seventy
years, "thus fulfilling" according to the
inscription, "his own memorable injuno-
tion, 1T is the duty of every citizen, though
he may have but one day to live, to devote
that day to the good of his country"
The monument was erected by Congress-.
Not far off is the grave Of Major General
George Clinton, who was also Vice Pres.
ident, surmounted by monument which
contains a bas relief portrait of the dc.
ceased which is said to be an excellent
likeness. AS every body knows there
have been no burials of Congressman in
this cemetery for some years. Probably
the last one was that of Senator Brown, Of
West Virginia, who died in 1884, and was
buried there. For years Congress went
on erecting ''cenotaphs" in the cemetery
to the memory Of rulers who died during
their term of service, but this practice has
been abandoned. These "cenotaphs"
were cubes, perhaps four feet each way,
surmounted by round block. On each
was cut the name Of the member in whose
memory it was erected One of the most
interesting monuments is that erected to
the celebrated Indian Push-na-la-la, who
was chief of the Choctaw tribe. Quite
number of Indians are buried in this
cemetery, but none of the Others are
marked in so pretentious q Style as the
celebrated Choctaw.